Freezing Temps Create Shopping Freeze for Local Shops

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DES MOINES, Iowa – The dangerous cold that set in over the weekend in Central Iowa had an effect on local stores that usually see an increase in activity this time of year.

Stores in the East Village are reporting lower sales overall this year compared to last. Especially on this weekend – the crunch time right before Christmas – when retailers expect their largest numbers, some stores say the freezing temperatures stopped that momentum.

“We didn’t see a lot of people come out, we’re actually down quite a bit here,” said Taylor Frame, director of stores for RAYGUN. “Just because of the cold weather, people didn’t really want to come out. We tried to incentivize with a sale, but the sale is also available online, because we didn’t want to advocate people coming out in really adverse conditions. So, we’re trying to make up some ground.”

RAYGUN advertised a “Polar Vortex” sale over the weekend, hoping to combat the lower turnout expected due to weather. Stores in the East Village also admit a disadvantage they encounter during cold weather is that patrons must often park in one spot, and then walk from location to location, blocks apart. Compared to a shopping mall, where consumers can visit multiple shops next to one another indoors, these businesses can lose out when the weather gets deadly cold.